We woke early in the morning at the ryokan, and drove an hour through a heavy snowfall to the train station, where we took a Shinkansen (bullet train) to Kanazawa. This was the first city where we had a guide… it was helpful to have someone walk us through the beautiful sites and explain some of the rich history of the area.

Gyokusen’inmaru Garden.. constructed 1868!

We covered a lot of ground in a day-and-a-half: we walked through the Nagamachi district of the city where the Samurais lived and visited a Samurai home. We sloshed through snow to see the gorgeous Gyokusen’inmaru Garden and Kenroku-en Garden– one of the three most beautiful in Japan….

Sprinklers clear the streets of Kanazawa

Lunch in Kanazawa: Shoe lockers!

Nagamachi district, Kanazawa. Where the Samurais lived…

Nomura Samurai House, Kanazawa.

Nagamachi district, Kanazawa. Where the Samurais lived…

Nomura Samurai House, Kanazawa.

Kenroku-en Garden, Kanazawa

Kotojitoro Lantern at Kenroku-en Garden, Kanazawa

… but for me the most impressive thing in the city was the Kanazawa Castle. I was awestruck by the might of its construction and the way it fit so majestically into the landscape. I took about 150 photos just of the castle… and it was VERY HARD to boil down just to these. Click one of the smaller ones and flip through! The construction is magnificent!

Kanazawa Castle

Kanazawa Castle

Kanazawa Castle

Kanazawa Castle

Kanazawa Castle

Kanazawa Castle

Kanazawa Castle

Kanazawa Castle

Kanazawa Castle

One afternoon, we had the opportunity to visit a “tea-house”. The name isn’t specifically about tea– instead it refers to private clubs where Geishas (“Geicos”) perform music, dance and high-class entertainment. As part of our tour, the woman who owns and runs Kaikaro tea-house talked to us about her business, showed us the various rooms where performances happen, and gave us a sense of the celebrity-culture behind Geisha in Japan.

Teahouses (!) in the Higashi Chaya district, Kanazawa

Visiting Kaikaro teahouse, Kanazawa

Visiting Kaikaro teahouse, Kanazawa

Visiting Kaikaro teahouse, Kanazawa

“Lady Baba” bobblehead at Kaikaro teahouse, Kanazawa

“Lady Baba” KitKats at Kaikaro teahouse, Kanazawa

Teahouses (!) in the Higashi Chaya district, Kanazawa

Kanazawa was a beautiful city, which not only had historic/touristy kinds of sites… but also had a lovely, modern train station, interesting museums, and great places to shop and eat– including a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant that was fully automated and made special deliveries to your table via a model, automated Shinkansen! We had a terrific time here!

Fascinating trip Kris & Joe w/family. Love how you are taking part in various rituals, culture items to get the real feel for Japan & its very, very unique culture. Curious to see if you are picking up on the many different paradoxes between simple, yet complex. Great place to start your trip from outside of U.S. Looking forward to the rest of your pictures!

I must say that I want to do everything that you’ve done here. How is the trip going in general. I can say for sure that we miss you here at home. What do you miss most about home. Sorry about the Seahawks. About the article, I only have one question: What is/was the purpose of the Kanazawa Castle. This is what interests me the most. The tea house seems cool too.